Filthy Rich could only sigh as he sat there in his prison cell. Although he had escaped a life sentence, he was still to serve for a very long time in light of his crimes. Even with testimony from his family and from others arguing that he'd been forced to do what he did, it had done little to convince the jury and the judge. Bail had been set so extraordinarily high that even his wife and his daughter had little hope of raising the funds needed to secure an early release.
Where had it all gone so wrong? Well, that was a silly question, Filthy knew full well where it had gone wrong. If only he had a way to go back in time and stop himself, he'd be a better stallion. Alas, that was impossible.
So the once proud earth pony stallion passed the time as best he could within the confines of his small cell. He lifted weights, made scratch marks on the walls, and occasionally lay down on his bed only to gaze longingly up at the ceiling. His thoughts naturally turned to his wife: Spoiled Rich, and his daughter: Diamond Tiara. How well were they getting on without him? Were they able to manage the family business in his absence? Was Diamond doing okay in school? How long had it been since he'd been allowed any contact with them?
The more Filthy Rich thought about these and other things, the more the gravity of his situation sank in. He was truly powerless in this situation. There was nothing he could do. Given the choice, he'd have preferred being turned to stone or even put to death.
Occasionally, the stallion's gaze turned to the lone window in his cell, his only view of the outside world. He thought he saw something off in the sky, almost like it was a different color or something. But he quickly dismissed it. "Prison's getting to me," He thought unhappily to himself. "There's nothing wrong with the sky, I'm just seeing things. Besides, a different colored sky means nothing. I'm never getting out of here."
Yet suddenly, the earth pony's ears picked up what sounded like the sounds of a scuffle. It sounded like there was some sort of commotion going on within the walls of the prison he was currently held in. He even thought he could hear the sounds of gunfire, of bodies hitting the floor with sickening thuds. Was there some sort of riot going on?!
Before Filthy had a chance to react, he saw the door at the other end of the room from his cell be blown off its hinges! Into the room, emerging from a cloud of green smoke, was a familiar looking unicorn stallion whose snow white coat had turned into a very pale shade of white. His mane and tail were a sickly shade of green, his lips were curled into a fiendish smile displayed across bloody red lips, and he wore a dark purple suit that had a strange, green colored flower on the right side.
"Hello, Filthy Rich," The stallion greeted with a smile that looked far less friendly and welcoming than a smile normally would. "Please pardon my intrusion. But I simply had to meet you, and I wasn't going to take no for an answer. It's a pity that those prison guards have such poor manners. Oh well, I suppose we can't all be like me." He proceeded to let out a wicked laugh, all the while trotting closer to the cell proper.
Filthy Rich immediately backed up against the wall of his cell, he didn't trust this stallion at all! "W-who are you?! You look like Prince Blueblood, but I know he doesn't look like some circus freak!"
The stallion only hissed in reply. "Circus freak?! You've got a lot of nerve talking to me like that!" He then pulled out what appeared to be a playing card, and threw it into the cell where it landed on the floor. "Pick it up." He said in a hushed whisper.
Hesitantly, Filthy obeyed. When he did so, he saw what the card displayed. "Joker?"
"Indeed, that's my name. I'm The Joker, the clown prince of crime!" The Joker taunted. "Obviously, you haven't heard of me. That's okay, because you will soon. After all, something tells me that you're not in your world anymore. You're in mine."
The earth pony stallion gulped as a nervous sweat ran down his face. "What did you do to those guards?! What do you want with me?!"
"Oh, the guards?" The Joker blinked and brushed aside any concern. "I simply gave them a taste of my own brand of laughing gas. It's guaranteed to put a smile on your face no matter what. And I mean it quite literally. But hey, at least they'll die laughing," He then approached the cell, motioning for his fellow stallion to approach him. "Now come on, Mr. Rich, there's no use trying to hide from me. After all, I have a business proposition that I think you'll be most interested in."
Filthy wasn't persuaded for a second. "I'm already in here for what might as well be life! I'm not doin' anythin' to make it worse! I don't know what you're after, but I ain't helpin' ya! Just please leave me alone!" He tried to sound defiant, but his body's posture betrayed him.
The Joker simply responded by narrowing his eyes, his smile contorting into a frown. "My my. And here I thought the high and mighty Filthy Rich would be a sensible pony. Seems I figured you all wrong," Grasping the bars of the cell, he hissed. "Let me make it perfectly clear to you, Filthy, I can be very persuasive when I want to be. If you don't wanna talk to me, that's fine. I'll simply pay your family a visit. I'm sure they'll be willing to hear me out once I 'convince' them."
"You stay away from them you... you... you maniac!" Filthy Rich hollered at the top of his lungs and rushed up to the bars, locking eyes with The Joker!
"You're in no position to be making threats, old chap," The Joker warned in an ominous tone of voice. "And flattery won't save you. So either hear me out, or I'll just take my talents to a more appreciative, captive audience. It's your choice."
The earth pony stallion let out a reluctant sigh. "What do you want? Make it quick." He snapped and growled.
"Oh come now, Filthy, do lighten up," The Joker replied with a laugh. "You should learn to smile more. Just because the world's a horrible, rotten place doesn't mean you have to let it get to you. You can always do what I do, and just go crazy! When you're as mad as me, you don't care what happens to anypony else," He proceeded to clear his throat. "Now, what I want from you is simple. Let's just say I've got some friends to whom I owe my new lease on life. They busted me out, and all they ask for in return is a little favor. They want chaos. Not just for your world or mine, but for every universe that's out there."
"I don't see where you're goin' with this." Filthy blinked in confusion.
The Joker's sinister smile returned. "Relax, it's nothing you need to worry about. The only thing I need from you is your money. You still have that, don't you?"
"What do you need it for?" Filthy Rich questioned.
"I told you, for chaos!" The Joker gleefully boasted! "Hook me up with a loan, give me some bits to throw around. And if I'm feeling generous enough, I might just see fit to break you out of this hellhole they call a prison. We could have it all! We'd be partners in crime across the whole multiverse! Surely, that's better than wasting away in a dusty, musty, old prison cell, no?"
But Filthy shook his head from side to side. "I couldn't help you if I wanted to. I've got no money here. All the money I do have is goin' towards supportin' my family: My wife and my daughter."
At that, The Joker suddenly reached into one of his coat pockets as his smile deepened. "Is that so? Well then, I guess I won't waste another minute of your precious time. I know where I need to go to get what I need."
A horrified Filthy gasped! "You wouldn't!"
The Joker only replied with a wicked laugh and an ominous declaration. "When you're as mad as I am, nothing is off the table. Much as I would love to stay and chat, I've got better things to do. But don't worry, I'll still come back for you once I get what I want. Oh, and don't even think about trying to tattle on me. If you do, your family will pay the price." And with that, he departed the cell, heading back into the carnage he had unleashed.
Filthy Rich could only watch as the self-proclaimed "Clown Prince" disappeared. "Oh Celestia!" He thought as his eyes went wide with horror! "Please, don't let anything happen to my family!"